Must-see shopping in Chiang Mai

  • Sweet stall, Sunday walking street market.

    Sunday Walking Street

    Chiang Mai

    On Sunday afternoon Th Ratchadamnoen is taken over by the boisterous Sunday Walking Street, which feels even more animated than Th Wualai's Saturday…

  • CHIANG MAI, THAILAND - 2006/08/13: The popular walking street market which attracts thousands of locals and tourists each weekend. The market opens in the evening and vendors sell a wide range of goods from traditional produce to pirated DVDs and CDs.. (Photo by Yvan Cohen/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Saturday Walking Street

    Chiang Mai

    The Saturday Walking Street takes over Th Wualai, running southwest from Pratu Chiang Mai at the southern entrance to the old city. There is barely space…

  • Studio Naenna

    Chiang Mai

    The colours of the mountains have been woven into the naturally dyed silks and cottons here, part of a project to preserve traditional weaving and…

  • Baan Kang Wat

    Chiang Mai

    Though a little out of the way, Baan Kang Wat is worth the trip simply to coo over the cute architecture and picturesque ambience. The open-air artists…

  • Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

    Chiang Mai

    Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is one of the city’s main night-time attractions, especially for families, and is the legacy of the original Yunnanese trading…

  • One Nimman

    Chiang Mai

    Featuring upmarket Chiang Mai clothing, cafes and art, eclectic Nimman also houses an open-air food hall, regular pop-up markets, and even free salsa and…

  • John Gallery

    Chiang Mai

    Opened in 1980, this place is a warren of paintings on cotton, cards and rocks, often inscribed with feel-good or creative quotes. John also hawks dusty…

  • Shinawatra Thai Silk

    Chiang Mai

    This venerable family-owned silk shop was already a household name before the owners' nephew, Thaksin Shinawatra, became (now exiled) prime minister. The…

  • Elephant Parade

    Chiang Mai

    In venues around Chiang Mai, you may notice life-sized, decorated baby elephant sculptures created by artists and celebrities through the social…

  • HQ Paper Maker

    Chiang Mai

    This intriguing shop sells reams of handmade mulberry paper (săh), in a remarkable range of colours and patterns, including gorgeous marbled sheets that…

  • Doi Tung

    Chiang Mai

    Part of a development project for rural communities in Chiang Rai Province, this very chic emporium is full of handmade scarves, tablecloths, clothing and…

  • Central Festival

    Chiang Mai

    Just north of the Arcade Bus Terminal on Rte 11, Chiang Mai's flashiest shopping centre is anchored around a Central department store, with tons of…

  • Siam Celadon

    Chiang Mai

    This long-established company sells fine cracked-glazed celadon ceramics in a lovely fretwork-covered teak building from the time of the British teak…

  • Thai Tribal Crafts Fair Trade

    Chiang Mai

    Baskets and ornate needlework from the provinces are the offerings at this missionary-backed, fair-trade shop near the McCormick Hospital. It also runs a…

  • Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center

    Chiang Mai

    Chiang Mai's flashiest shopping centre hides behind a geometric facade, with all the big international brands, a whole floor of electronics, a good…

  • Srisanpanmai

    Chiang Mai

    The display cases here are like a library of Lanna textiles, with reams of silk and cotton shawls, scarves and hill-tribe costumes. You're guaranteed to…

  • Suriwong Book Centre

    Chiang Mai

    A Chiang Mai institution, with a well-organised and well-stocked bookshop upstairs, and a magazine shop downstairs packed with international mags from…

  • Mengrai Kilns

    Chiang Mai

    In the southwestern corner of the old city, Mengrai Kilns keeps the tradition of Thai handmade pottery alive, with cookware, dining sets, ornaments and…

  • Sop Moei Arts

    Chiang Mai

    High-end hill-tribe crafts, from off-the-loom textiles to baskets, are sold at this economic-development shop, which provides assistance for Karen…

  • Night Bazaar

    Chiang Mai

    A covered market in the popular Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.

  • Talat Ton Phayom

    Chiang Mai

    This place acts as both a local market and a souvenir stop for Thais visiting from other provinces. Take a look at the packaged-food area (mains from 30B)…

  • Kad Farang Wednesday Night Market

    Chiang Mai

    Wednesday evenings are the best time to visit this outdoor shopping mall, when the parking lot is turned into a walking night market with vendors selling…

  • Anusarn Night Bazaar

    Chiang Mai

    Filled with tables of vendors selling knitted caps, hill-tribe trinkets, wooden elephants, carved soaps and other cottage-industry wares. Also the spot…

  • Herb Basics

    Chiang Mai

    A great stop for fragrant herbal balms, scrubs, creams, soaps and shampoos, all made in Chiang Mai with natural ingredients. There are several Herb Basics…

  • Nova

    Chiang Mai

    Sleekly contemporary, this high-class jewellery studio makes top-quality rings, pendants and earrings using silver, gold and precious stones. It also runs…

  • Nakorn Kasem

    Chiang Mai

    One of a string of ma-and-pa antique shops selling ceramics, statues, carvings and bronzes of hard-to-determine age and authenticity. Pick something…

  • Central Airport Plaza

    Chiang Mai

    A vast cathedral to consumerism, with floor after floor of apparel, electronics and food, plus the inevitable multiscreen cinema. The Northern Village on…

  • Star Avenue Lifestyle Mall

    Chiang Mai

    If you have time to burn while at the Arcade Bus Terminal (off Rte 11), head over to the Star Avenue Lifestyle Mall by Building 3, which has air…

  • Elements

    Chiang Mai

    An eclectic collection of sterling silver and stone jewellery, silk scarves and other trinkets fills this unsigned store near Pratu Tha Phae. It's good…

  • Vila Cini

    Chiang Mai

    Set in an atmospheric teak house with marble floors, Vila Cini sells high-end, handmade silks, decorative items and cotton textiles that are reminiscent…

  • Promenada Resort Mall

    Chiang Mai

    A little marooned in the southwest of the city, beyond Rte 11, this quieter suburban shopping centre has the inevitable cinema and food court, along with…

  • Chabaa

    Chiang Mai

    Taking ethnic fashion uptown, Chabaa is a cavern of clothes, jewellery and accessories in radiant, room-filling primary colours, sourced from Thailand,…

  • Kesorn Arts

    Chiang Mai

    The collector's best friend, this cluttered shop has been trading old bric-a-brac from the hills for years. It specialises mainly in textiles, lacquerware…

  • Herb Basics

    Chiang Mai

    A branch of the popular store, offering fragrant herbal balms, scrubs, creams, soaps and shampoos made with natural ingredients.

  • Time's Books & Etc

    Chiang Mai

    A rambling shop along 'book alley' (Th Chang Moi Kao), with a good selection of English-language guidebooks and stacks of crime and thriller novels.

  • Pantip Plaza

    Chiang Mai

    Near the Night Bazaar, with a good selection of legit computer gear, cameras and phones, plus all manner of accessories, software and peripherals.

  • Ginger

    Chiang Mai

    Designer-ethnic is the prevailing theme at this boutique on the edge of the moat, with rooms full of bright textiles and arty melamine homewares.

  • Lost Book

    Chiang Mai

    A popular secondhand bookstore open for more than 27 years, packed with English-language novels, guidebooks and maps.

  • Praewphun Thai Silk

    Chiang Mai

    This shop, open since the 1960s, sells silks of all ilks, made into clothing and sold loose by the metre.

More destinations you need to see